A press conference was held at the Bhandaria Press Club on Monday to protest the inclusion of former Awami League (AL) and Jatiya Party (JP) leaders into the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP).
Abul Kalam Mallick, the expelled former convener of Upazila Jubo Dal, led the briefing. He alleged that individuals who spent the last 17 years "suppressing, attacking, and torturing" local BNP activists are now being welcomed into the party ranks.
"These are the same people who celebrated with sweets when Begum Khaleda Zia was imprisoned and when Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman was sentenced," Mallick stated in a written address. He claimed that the presence of these "infiltrators" at recent joining ceremonies has sparked intense anger among grassroots supporters and the general public.
Mallick also addressed his own status, claiming his expulsion was the result of a "malicious group" using settled family matters as a pretext to derail his career. He noted that while party guidelines allow for the reinstatement of expelled members, only one out of nine local leaders has seen their expulsion order withdrawn.
The press conference concluded with a formal request to the BNP central leadership to conduct a fair investigation, withdraw expulsion orders for loyal activists, and allow veteran members to lead the campaign for the upcoming 13th National Parliament election.
